Bengaluru, June 11 (IANS) Senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka on Thursday accused the Congress government of betraying women beneficiaries of the Gruha Laxmi guarantee scheme by undertaking a verification drive that could result in the removal of more than one lakh beneficiaries from the programme.

In a statement, Ashoka alleged that the Congress had promised Rs 2,000 per month to every woman head of a household before the Assembly elections and secured votes on that basis, but was now attempting to exclude beneficiaries after coming to power.

“Before the elections, it was Gruha Lakshmi; after the elections, it has become ‘Ineligible Lakshmi’. This is the true face of the Congress guarantees,” he said.

According to Ashoka, the government has identified 1,12,092 women across 17 districts as ineligible for the scheme. He claimed that the Congress had campaigned without imposing conditions before the elections, but was now finding reasons to remove women from the beneficiary list.

The BJP leader also criticised Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s reported response that he was unaware of the issue. “If the Chief Minister says he does not know about a matter affecting the lives of 1.1 lakh women in the state, then who is running the government?” Ashoka questioned.

He further alleged that the government was subjecting beneficiaries to additional hardship through biometric verification procedures. Ashoka said the sequence of events reflected a pattern in which the Congress promised financial assistance before elections, prepared lists of ineligible beneficiaries after elections, and was now creating fresh difficulties in the name of verification.

Questioning the government’s commitment to women’s empowerment, he accused the Congress of using women as a vote bank and then depriving them of benefits after securing power.

Ashoka demanded that the government immediately halt what he described as an injustice and ensure that eligible beneficiaries receive financial assistance under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme without confusion or disruption.

The Congress government must answer the women of Karnataka for “seeking votes in the name of guarantees and later denying benefits by declaring beneficiaries ineligible,” he said.

It can be recalled that the Congress government in Karnataka has ordered a re-verification of beneficiaries under the Gruha Laxmi scheme, which provides a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 to women heads of households.

The move has sparked concerns and renewed debate over whether the government is considering scaling back its flagship guarantee schemes. However, the government has maintained that the exercise is aimed solely at preventing misuse and ensuring benefits reach eligible recipients.

The decision to review the Gruha Laxmi scheme follows the detection of alleged misuse, with monthly allowances reportedly being credited to the accounts of 1.48 lakh deceased beneficiaries.

Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday clarified that the state government has no intention of reducing the number of beneficiaries under its guarantee schemes and said the ongoing verification exercise is aimed solely at ensuring that benefits reach eligible recipients.

–IANS

mka/dpb